These two bird terms mean almost—but not exactly—the same thing. You can go birding or bird-watching, or both.
With popular culture mentioning birds and birding more often, people often ask us: is birding somehow different from bird-watching?
On This Page
What Does Bird-Watching Mean?
The term bird-watching has been used for a long time. It evokes images of peaceful mornings observing birds at our feeders, or a casual stroll to watch them in a local park. Bird-watchers tend to spend more time with each individual bird, getting to know its behaviors and delighting in its antics. On the other side of the feathered coin, we have birding. That is essentially bird-watching’s more active—and often more competitive—cousin.
What is slow birding and should you try it?
What Does Birding Mean?
Birders often focus on identifying as many species as possible, adding birds to their “life list,” and sometimes competing in Big Days or Big Years, with the goal of racking up the longest list of different species. They often carry lots of gear: binoculars, spotting scopes, field guides and apps. For them, it’s not just about the view; it’s about the number of birds they can add to their tally.
Grab your binoculars and join the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Differences Between Birding vs Bird-Watching
So is there a significant difference? Yes and no. Bird-watchers tend to take a more relaxed approach, finding joy in being present with birds and nature. It’s more about the experience and less about the numbers. Birders may approach the activity from an angle of obsession and excitement, constantly on the lookout for the rarest species, often traveling far and fast to see new and different birds.
In our own experiences, Kimberly started by spending hundreds of hours monitoring bald eagle nests and noting their every move. That was bird-watching at a high level. But she enjoys active birding, too, and has participated in some competitive Big Days. Kenn started out intensely pursuing new birds for his life list, and as a teenager he spent 12 months hitchhiking around the continent for a Big Year, as described in his book Kingbird Highway. That was hardcore birding. But these days, after watching birds all over the world, he hasn’t bothered to add up his total species number.
In fact, we often use the terms birding and bird-watching interchangeably. And why not? They overlap to a great degree. Even the most casual watchers enjoy seeing a new species for the first time. And even the most avid list-keepers will pause to admire a beautiful feathered friend they’ve seen many times before—as long as they’re not in the middle of dashing off to chase a new one!
Birding by Ear
There’s a reason to default to calling it birding: We know some blind or vision-impaired birders who enjoy identifying species by sound. Clearly they are not watching, but they still enjoy and appreciate birding by ear.
Bird Lovers Can Enjoy Both
In the grand scheme of things, these are just words, but both are about connecting with birds and the natural world. Whether a bird-filled day involves sipping a cup of tea while watching birds at the feeder, or racing off to catch a glimpse of a rare warbler in another state, birds bring more joy into our lives. And hopefully, together we can generate more support for the conservation of bird populations, so that future generations can continue an interest in birding, bird-watching, or a bit of both.
British Bird Terms
Birders from across the pond have their own special slang, and some of their terms have gained traction in North America.
- Twitching: Traveling to see one particular rare bird. “We’re twitching for the Siberian rubythroat today.”
- Mega: A very rare bird. “The Siberian rubythroat is a mega. Got to chase it.”
- Dip: To go looking for a particular bird and miss it. “We dipped on the Siberian rubythroat.”
